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The *New* Pepperoni: Hot Sopressata

For the past three or four years, this delicious salted cured meat has been in my life. It must have been a pizza blog (likely Slice) that turned me onto the meat. Needless to say, I'm a Sopressata evangelist now. That's a slice of the stuff in the photo above. As you can see it looks a lot like salami or pepperoni, but is more oblong shape instead of round. And, it is spicier and (of course!) tastier.

It won't be taking over pepperoni on your regular run-of-the-mill thin crust pie, but at most artisan pizza joints these days, you'll find this meat gracing many a skin where regular old pepperoni would have done.

We buy ours at Caputo's in Addison and the care they put into packaging our slices speaks to the importance this sliced meat holds in the hearts and minds of Italians. When my pizza oven comes to life next year, the second pie out will be a Sopressata one. First? Has to be Margherita, right?

Comments

Oh Jake, if I could put into words the deliciousness that is sopressata, traffic jams would block every intersection of the Chicago land area. My family has been making this stuff for generations in a small town called Catanzaro Calabria in the south of Italy. From racing the pigs to the big fall family parties where the assembling begins, so much love is put into it, that's why it tastes so good!I was almost arrested at Ohare for smuggling one in my suitcase...thank God they didn't check carry~ons if they had lets just say your wedding flower would have been delivered from the pen :)

Hah! Just found your post here after googling around for the one I did for Slice a while ago (http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/01/hot-soppressata-replacing-pepperoni-as-hot-new-it-pizza-topping-trend.html)! I am a huge advocate for this stuff, too. I almost can't go back to pepperoni now!

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I'm Jake Parrillo. This is my website.

I'm Jake Parrillo and I'm using this space here on the web as a journal of sorts. I'm a 40 year old father of three (2 girls, 1 boy, all beautiful savages).

We live out in Downers Grove - in the Western Suburbs of Chicago. I work at Edelman, am an Xoogler and a former Village Trustee. (Yes! I was elected to office 3X.) I'm pizza-crazy,a Disney Dad, a gardener, and even into Lionel O-Gauge trains. I (sometimes) post links and videos over at at www.parrillo.info.